Reversible ballast-spreading plow for railways.



A; E. ALLAN. REVERSIBLE BALLAST'SPREADING PLOW FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I9. 1916.

1917. 3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITN ESSES ATTORNEY A. E. ALLAN. REVERSIBLE BALLAST SPREADING PLOW FOR RAILWAYS. APPLICATION FILED APR. I9. I9l6. I ,Q32748 Patented July 10, 1917.

3 S'HEETS-SHEET 3.

mvENToR ATTORNEY flhlll @TAFE FFFUE.

ALBERT E. ALLAN, OF CANTERBURY, NEW ZEALAND.

REVERSIBLE BALLAST-SPREADING PLOXV FOR RAILWAYS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT E. ALLAN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Canterbury, New Zealand, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reversible BzallastSpreading Plows for Railways, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway rolling stock and more particularly to an improved ballast spreading plow designed for use in railroad repair and structure work.

In describing my invention in detail reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a railway car equipped with my improved ballast spreading` plow;

Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly in section, illustrating in detail the railway car construction and the arrangement of the plow parts with respect thereto;

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal longitudinal sec tional view; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse longitudinal sectional view, enlarged, the movable plow parts being positioned as illustrated in Fig. 2.

Fig. 6, is a diagrammatic view illustrating the method of spreading the vballast employed by my machine.

Referring now to the drawings by numerals, 1 designates as an entirety a railway car equipped with my improved ballast spreading plow. The device of my invention in its preferred embodiment may be said to consist of a rectangular mold board supporting frame 2, opposed mold boards 3-3 coacting plow shares 4 4, an operating mechanism designated in its entirety by the numeral 5, whereby the opposed mold boards may be simultaneously moved into operative association with either of the plow shares 4, the latter, the plow shares 4, being located respectively (point foremost) at opposite ends of the mold board supporting frame 2.

A casting 6, vertically slotted as indicated at 7, is mounted intermediate the car ends to operatively support a control lever 8 shiftable to .adjust the mold board 8 with respect to the plow share 4. One end of the lever 8 is bifurcated as indicated at 9 to straddle Specification of Letters Patent. Pgftntdl July 1Q), 119:1 *QQ Application mea apra 19, 1916.

Serial N o. 92,255.

an operating link 10 and coacting links 11. A pin 12 is carried by the lever 8 to penetrate the link 10 and operate in the slots 7 of the casting 6, the slots thus permitting vertical movement of the pin with respect to said casting yet precluding longitudinal movement of the lever with respect to the railway car l.

Bars 13 ybrace the mold board supporting frame 2 and at the same time afford a means whereby the link 10 and the links 11 are fastened to said frame, a pivot pin 14 being utilized as the fastening means.

Rollers 15 are carried by the control lever 8, one at the end of each extension formed by the bifurcation aforesaid, the rollers engaging, as indicated in Fig. 5, with rails 16 extending in parallelism longitudinally of the car frame directly beneath the casting 6. Parallel longitudinally extending `angle irons 17 (forming a part of the car chassis or frame) support the rail 16.

Studs 18 support the rollers 15, each stud being extended inwardly as indicated in Fig. 5 to engage and operate in slots 19 formed in the links 11.

A longitudinally movable carriage, desige nated as an entirety by the numeral 20, is mounted for movement beneath the angle irons 17 through action of the links 11. The carriage 20 in its preferred embodiment comprises opposed angle bars 21 vertically slotted as indicated at 22 and horizontally slotted as indicated at 23. Pins 24 carried by the links 11 engage and operate in the slots 22 that the carriage 2O may be moved in the manner stated, while pins 25 engage and operate in the slots 28 that the mold boards 3 may be shifted according to the movement of the mentioned carriage. Spaeed parallel rails 26 support the carriage for movement.

Each mold board 3 is equipped with an arcuate operating arm 27 that movement may be transmitted thereto by movement of said carriage. The arm 27 carries the pin 25 which operates in the slot 23.

As indicated in Figs. 2 and 4, mold boards 3 are pivoted as indicated at 2S at opposite sides of the mold board supporting frame 2.

By movement of the control lever 8 as indicated in Fig. 8, it is evident that the rollers 15 will ride upon the rail 16 and accordingly swing the links 11 at an angle to the vertical. The slots 7 and the slot 19 will limit movement of the lever 8, the rollers 15 and the links 1l. As the links 11 swing from one to the opposite side of a vertical dead center position, it is evident that the carriage frame will be accordingly moved. As the carriage is moved from one to the opposite side of a dead center position, it is evident that the mold boards 3 will be likewise moved and accordingly swung into operative association with either the plow share 3 at one end of the supporting frame 2 or with the plow share 3 at the opposite end thereof. Each mold board is made to snugly and properly engage with the plow share 3 with which it is associated. A. slot 29 is formed in the floor of the car 1 so that the lever 8, the link 10 and the links 11 may extend therethrough. The lever 8, if desired, may be equipped with a weight 30, mounted adjacent its handle end that the said lever subsequent to adjustment will maintain and hold its adjusted position.

Movement and operation of the coacting elements in the manner stated, will, as the lever S is shifted, accordingly raise and lower the mold board supporting frame 2 and consequently the plow share -l and the mold board 3 carried thereby. As the said lever 8 is swung from an angular position to a vertical dead centerposition, and since the rollers 15 are incapable of vertical movement, vertical movement of the pin 12 in the slot 7 will occur. Since the link 10 is fastened at one end to the said pin 12, it is further apparent that the links will be raised and by reason of the connection indicated at 14C, the mold board supporting frame 2 accordingly raised.

As a means whereby the said control lever may be locked in a true vertical position, I provide opposed latch bars 31. Each latch bar is mounted in a slot 32 therefor formed in vthe casting 6. Spring retaining devices 33'fastened as at 3l to the casting 6 engage with and maintain the latch bars 31 in engagement with the control lever to thus releasably fasten the said lever in said vertical position. As indicated, the latch bars 31 engage with the opposite longitudinal edges of the control lever.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is evident that the mold board supporting frame 2 and the plow shares 4f and `the mold boards 3 carried thereby, may be lowered from the position illustrated in Fig. 5 to a position in contact with the railway rail as illustrated in Fig. 3, the parts thus lowered functioning to spread the ballast evenly between and at opposite sides of the railway rails. Guides 2a and 2b may be mounted on the car' body and frame 2 respectively for guiding the frame 2 in its vertical movement. It is further evident that the mold board may be reversed through manipulation of the control lever-8 to coperate with the leveled and not be engaged by the flanges of the car wheels.

In reduction to practice, I have found that the form of my invention, illustrated in the drawings and referred to in the above description, as the preferred embodiment, is

the most eflicient and practical; yet'realizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my device will necessarily vary,

lI desire to emphasize the factthatvarious minor changes in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of'parts may be resorted to, when required, withoutsacrificing any of the advantages of my invention, as deiined in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is s 1. In a ballast spreading device for railway repair and construction work, a supporting frame movable toward and from the railway rails, a plow share at each -end of the frame, a mold board at each side of the frame, the mold boards being reversible for coperation with either plow share, and a means to simultaneously vertically adjust the supporting frame Vand reverse the position of the mold boards with respect to the coperating plow shares.

2.'In a ballast spreading device Vfor railway repair and construction work, relatively lixed plow shares, opposed reversible moldboards, and a single manually operable means to simultaneously reverse the mold boards to provide for cooperation ofthe said mold vboards with either of the mentioned shares.

3. In al ballast spreading device for railway repair ancl construction work, relatively fixed plow shares, opposed moldV Vboards mounted for turning movement -into endwise engagement with either of the .plow

shares, and a means to lower the plow structure thus formed into engagement with the railway rails in the manner stated.

4l. In a ballast spreading `device for railway repair and construction work, a verti-j cally movable supporting frame, plow shares mounted at opposite ends of the frame,mold boards mounted at opposite sides of :the frame for oscillatory movement for permitting endwise engagement thereof with either plow share, and a means movable ina straight Lasagne line engaging the opposed mold boards to reverse the position of said mold boards and accordingly permit of coperation with either end plow share.

5. In a ballast spreading device for railway repair and construction work, a supporting frame, mold boards mounted for turning movement at opposite sides of the frame, a carriage engaging with the opposed mold boards and moving longitudinally of the supporting frame to vary the position of the mold boards with respect thereto, and lever operable to move the carriage in the manner stated.

6. In a ballast spreading device for railway repair and construction work, a supporting frame, a mold board mounted at each side oi'' said frame, a carriage mounted to engage with the opposed mold boards, rails supporting said carriage :tor movement longitudinally of the supporting trame, and a lever operable to move said carriage in the manner stated to vary the position of the mold boards with respect to said supporting frame.

7. In a ballast spreading device for railway repair and construction work, a supporting frame, opposed relatively movable mold board structures, mounted, one on each side of said frame, a carriage movable longitudinally of said supporting frame and engaging with the opposed mold board structures to vary the position of said structures with respect to the frame, and a means engaging said carriage to raise and lower the supporting frame and the mold board structures carried thereby during adjustment of the latter in the manner stated.

8. A ballast spreading device :tor railway repair and construction work including a supporting trame, opposed relatively movable mold board devices, a carriage mounted to engage with the opposed mold board devices, and a means engaging said carriage to move it longitudinally of the supporting frame to vary the position of the mold board devices with respect thereto and at the same time raise and lower said mold board devices respectively out of and into engagement with the railway rails.

9. In a ballast spreading device for railway repair and construction work, a supporting frame, a plow structure carried by said trame, a control lever, a connection between said lever and said supporting frame, rollers mounted at one end of said lever, guide rails with which the rollers engage, said control lever being movable from a dead center vertical position to a position at an angle to the vertical that the supporting frame may be moved either out of or into engagement with the railway rails, and a means to maintain said lever in its dead center vertical posi tion to accordingly maintain the said plow structure out of engagement with the railway rails.

10,7 In a ballast spreading plow :tor railway repair and construction work, a supporting frame, a plow structure carried by said supporting trame, a control lever movable from a dead center vertical position to a position at an angle to the vertical at either side of said vertical position to raise and lower the plow structure respectively out of and into engagement with the railway rails, a connection between said lever and said supporting trame, a means to limit vertical movement of said supporting frame during adjustment of the plow structure in the manner stated, and a means to maintain the lever in a dead center vertical position to accordingly maintain the plow structure out of engagement with the railway rails.

l1. In a ballast spreading device for railway repair and construction work, a supporting frame, a plow share mounted at each end ot the frame, a mold board device mounted at each side of the frame, and a means to simultaneously reverse the position of the mold board devices for the purpose specified.

l2. In a ballast spreading device for railway repair and construction work, a supporting frame, a plow share at each end thereof and oscillatably mounted mold boards at each side of the frame adapted for endwise engagement with either plow share and a means to simultaneously move the mold board and vertically adjust said supporting frame so that the mold board in the lowermost position of the frame may engage with the railway rails.

13. In a ballast spreading device, for railways, the combination of a wheel supported truck, a plow structure supported beneath said truck, including a frame, a plow share mounted at either end thereof, mold boards mounted at opposite sides of the frame for oscillation and for endwise engagement with either plow share, a means movable in one direction or the other to lower the plow structure, said operating means being operable to raise the plow structure when moved to an intermediate position, and means operable by movement of said operating means in one direction or the other as aforesaid to oscillate the mold boards to 'engage the same with one plow share or the other as the case may be.

In testimony whereof IattiX my signature in Apresence of two witnesses.

ALBERT E. ALLAN.

Witnesses:

Josnrn GIBSON, ALEXANDER JOHN MCCRACKEN.

Copies of this patent may 'be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 1G. 

